What is Love?
Witnessing a marriage can be such a special moment. Think back to all the marriages you’ve witnessed-I bet you’ve heard 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 quoted many times. It is an important verse and fills a couple with joy through the love they have for each other. It’s hard to read or hear the verse without feeling love. Following this beautiful moment, the couple will enter into the “honeymoon period”. This time is filled with joyous love for one another with little or no fighting. There’s a chance you may be yearning for that point in your marriage right now.
But why doesn’t marriage always stay that way? The answer is simple: we let life control it instead of allowing our love to. There are many verses in the Bible that tells us that Jesus married the church. Our marriage should mirror this relationship. The reason it may feel difficult to do so is due to the emotions in our lives.
Controlling Emotions
If controlled, emotions can be a blessing and Galatians 5:22 tells us how to do this. We cannot control our emotions and produce a loving marriage without the Holy Spirit. Your marriage needs to be a love triangle, with the tip of the point being the Holy Spirit. It almost feels counter-intuitive to spend your time on something other than your spouse and fixing your relationship with them. However, without fixing your relationship with the Holy Spirit, you will never get to the point in your marriage that you want.
A marriage fueled by emotions is not a strong relationship. As we are told in the above verse ( Galatians 5:22 ), “when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.” If love is the foundation of marriage we must let the Holy Spirit be the cornerstone.
You May Need to get a Mirror
If your marriage is struggling, take a look at yourself instead of your spouse. Are you spending enough time in your relationship with God? Are you getting into his word? Through reading the Bible, you may find that you are not following God’s instructions to live a happy and healthy life. Of course, don’t take this as blaming yourself if you are experiencing physical or emotional abuse of any sort. In these cases seek the wisdom and advice of a pastor you trust. Also, remember that two people make up a marriage. If your spouse isn’t willing to grow in God’s word or love, first pray and then go to marriage counseling with a pastor you trust. The entire time, be consistent in growing your own relationship with Jesus Christ as your first priority.
